Japanese symbol for “beat”
鼓動
こどう
Romaji: kodou
beat; palpitation; pulsation; throbbing
In Japanese, beat is 鼓動, read こどう (kodou).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- n, vi, vs beat; palpitation; pulsation; throbbing
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “beat”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 打つ | うつ utsu | to hit; to strike; to knock |
| 殴る | なぐる naguru | to strike; to hit; to beat |
| 鳴らす | ならす narasu | to ring; to sound; to chime |
| 打つ | ぶつ butsu | to hit (someone); to strike; to beat |
| 叩く | たたく tataku | to strike; to hit; to beat |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 太鼓 | たいこ taiko | drum |
| 鼓舞 | こぶ kobu | encouragement; inspiration; rousing |
| 鼓膜 | こまく komaku | eardrum; tympanic membrane |
| 太鼓判 | たいこばん taikoban | large seal; large stamp |
| 舌鼓 | したつづみ shitatsuzumi | smacking one's lips (over food) |
| 活動 | かつどう katsudou | activity (of a person, organization, animal, volcano, etc.); action; operation |
| 行動 | こうどう koudou | action; conduct; behaviour |
| 運動 | うんどう undou | exercise; physical training; workout |
See also: Chinese symbol for “beat”.
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.